Sabathia didn’t toss a shutout—as Verlander did—but he held the Orioles to a single run, struck out nine and put them down in order five times in the first seven innings during the complete-game gem. It was just what the doctor ordered after the Yankees used seven relievers in Thursday’s 13-inning loss.

Another encouraging sign for New York: Curtis Granderson (1-for-16 with nine strikeouts in the first four games) had three solid at-bats and homered for the first time in the series.

Expect the celebration to be somewhat subdued, however, as the Yankees will host the Tigers in Game 1 of the ALCS on Saturday evening.

Three Strikes from New York’s ALDS-clinching win:

1. Eighth was nearly enough

Sabathia was brilliant through the first seven innings, allowing only two baserunners and striking out six. But he ran into trouble in the eighth. After the first two men reached, Sabathia struck out Mark Reynolds. A Lew Ford single plated Matt Wieters, and Robert Andino reached after Sabathia cleanly fielded a comebacker but hesitated before eventually (and unsuccessfully) trying for the forceout at second.

With the bases loaded and one out, manager Joe Girardi stuck with his ace. Sabathia responded by striking out Nate McLouth and inducing a groundout from J.J. Hardy—with Derek Jeter making a tough play look almost routine (on a bum foot) on that final out.

2. Pole position

McLouth nearly put the Orioles on the board in the sixth when he hit a long drive near the right-field fair pole that was ruled foul. Orioles manager Buck Showalter successfully lobbied to have the umpires review the call, though the call stood. Even with the benefit of multiple slow-motion and enhanced replays on TV, it was nearly impossible to determine if the ball nicked the pole on its downward trajectory.

McLouth then struck out to end the half-inning with Baltimore still trailing, 1-0. Almost on cue, New York struck for its second run when Ichiro Suzuki doubled home Jeter in the bottom of the inning.

While frustrated Orioles fans might bemoan the call, they shouldn’t feel jobbed. This wasn’t a blown call; it was a call that stood because even technology couldn’t overturn it. Leaving the bases loaded in the eighth is a much bigger reason the team’s fantastic season ended Friday night.

3. Late arrivals

Those fans who arrived late—and there were plenty who did—missed at least three innings. An hour after the first pitch, the game already was in the fifth, a far cry from the usual Yankee Stadium playoff games.

The good news: The tardy fans missed no action. Both Sabathia and Jason Hammel were perfect through three innings, with each starting pitcher striking out four. McLouth picked up Baltimore’s first hit in the fourth but was erased by a double play. Mark Teixeira led off the fifth with a single that broke up Hammel’s no-no attempt. He stole second—his first steal since July 6 (he stole two all season) and first in 36 career postseason games—and scored the game’s first run on an RBI single by Raul Ibanez.